Don't Do LG Topload Washer Recall Unless You Want Wet Clothes

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Under Australian law, you would also be able to seek a refund as the machine is now no longer as advertised and will no longer perform a function which it should - high speed spin.

Get some advice and see what you can do.
 
Other than replacing your machines outright, which I think it sucks you got burned on, there is a way you can get around the wet clothing issue.

I recommend getting your hands on a Charming spinner. Just set your machine for no spin and let the Charming do the rest of the work.

Good luck!
 
Qualin, why should he have to spend more money to work around the deficiencies of a faulty machine?
Plus a machine that doesn't spin is a machine that doesn't rinse and LG is a looser in all the aspects!
 
I think this shabby washer construction will come to an end. Just wait until some inquisitive child is injured or worse. I understand the concern about water savings. Where in the world are the UL people and such?
 
LG Technician Came And Left With No Results

The technician came this morning and saw for himself how slow my washer was spinning. He rewrote the software update program and did a Spin Only cycle test and the washer did spin a tad faster. However, I decided to do a load and observe what happened during the final spin. The same slow spin speed occured once again.

I contacted LG and told them I was unhappy with the recall software and the representative (a very nice lady name Jenna) spoke to her supervisor. The supervisor suggested the software be removed at my permission. I agreed. A technician is coming next week to remove the recall software and we will see what happens then.

P.S. Qualin, your suggestion is a good one; however, I don't see why I have to go through hoops because LG goofed on my machine. I should not have to use a spin dryer, nor should I have to "re-spin" clothes after a 20 minute final spin just because LG decided to slow my washer down to a 500 or so rpm spin because my machine might spin apart. The engineers should have thought of this when the machines were being designed.
 
Here in the U.S companies have teams of lawyers that spend their days trying to screw their customers by side stepping consumer laws. Now this business of detuning products is beyond unacceptable. As someone else said when they do this it is no longer the product you originally purchased. The "use and enjoyment" of the product has been diminished.

Someone needs to take one of these washers down to LG's US headquarters and dump it in their lobby and picket the building. Maybe if a few thousand show up all at once they may do something.
 
worrying

What worries me is that commpanies like LG will happily kill off established manufacturers of machines until we in the west are totally reliant on them to provide us with consumer goods, and this is what we will end up with 3rd rate equipment but of course by then they will calling all the shots and we as consumers will be pissed on from a great height.

This is not good at all, there is absolutely no excuse for any manufacturer today to make unreliable or faulty goods, all the lessons learnt over the years should be put into practise, but of course every new generation of buyers wont be aware of this when they are looking at the new all singing all dancing glitter boxes.

Good luck with your spin problem

Gary
 
sorry to hear that.

I'm really sorry to hear that. We have the lower end LG waveforce without the glass lid. And it usually senses the out of balance load and stops automatically even if it's during agitation and it will stop and and the "UE" code comes up. My aunt and uncle have the one with the glass top and there's does the same as ours. Demand LG exchange the washer for the newer generation one! They all now have been modified my coworker has the white glass top and she said hers does the same as mines and we all purchased them around the same time about 2 months ago. I posted pictures of mines in an older thread. I hope for the best but they should exchange it for a newer one. Take it from me I know 4 other people that purchased there LG toploaders within the past few months and none of us had issues with it blowing up thank God. Best of luck and keep us posted.
 
You know, I can understand not wanting to spend more to make up for a shortcoming on a machine. It's like you've been victimized and I can understand that.

Like anything, I'm sure we've all purchased a defective or poorly thought out product in our lifespans. Unfortunately, in my case, mine said "Chevrolet" on it. 5 years of hard work and it was already falling apart by the 3rd year I owned it.
$4000 in repairs in the time I owned that rolling money pit....

I think it sucks that you bought a lemon of a machine and that a firmware fix just isn't going to fix it. Removing the "Fix" will just make the machine dangerous again.

So, I guess here's what I'd do.. I'd unload your LG washer ASAP for whatever you can get for it. EBay it, give it a friend you don't like all that much, make a youtube video of it exploding, bring it down to the local firing range for target practice, put it on Craigslist as the washer of death... whatever...

Then I would go out and buy a Speed Queen. Front loader or Top loader. Then, I'd know that what was sitting in my laundry room was built from tried and proven technology and that it will last me many many years, without any recalls, explosions, worry or fuss. I realize that I sound like a commercial, but I personally own some products from this company and they really are well made.

I was considering buying an LG washer myself before I found these forums. I did my research and didn't want to get burned on a $1200 washer. Even if I had, a few short months of work and I could have always replaced it. However, the forum did save me a lot of hard work, a lot of time and it helped me make a great judgement.

It is very easy to say that the consumer speaks loudest with their dollar. Instead of trying to get your moneys worth out of something that doesn't work and is doing nothing more than causing you stress and frustration, how about buying something that does work and puts your mind at ease instead?

Many of the Speed Queen top loaders sell for under $800.. and that's a bargain. Compared to buying a clothes spinner, I'd say that's a better investment IMHO!
 
To Gary

> What worries me is that commpanies like LG will happily kill off established
> manufacturers of machines until we in the west are totally reliant on them to
> provide us with consumer goods, and this is what we will end up with 3rd rate
> equipment but of course by then they will calling all the shots and we as
> consumers will be pissed on from a great height.

The problem Gary is that a lot of people don't want to pay for quality. They want the cheapest goods that money can buy with the most amount of gadgets, toys and functionality without any regard to what is under the metal.

But, as long as people ignore the gadgets and keep buying products from companies which make quality products, those companies will be able to compete with LG and will survive because they have a customer base.

What I have a problem with is paying for quality product and getting garbage. When I pay a garbage price, I expect to get garbage.

> there is absolutely no excuse for any manufacturer today to make unreliable or
> faulty goods,

Somehow they do. It's usually caused by cost cutting. The engineers think of something great and the accountants tell them that they need to keep costs down, so they cut corners.

There are also some machines which are on the cutting edge of technology, so there are bound to be problems. Most noticeably, with these new top loading HE machines with the really soft suspension.

> every new generation of buyers wont be aware of this when they are looking at
> the new all singing all dancing glitter boxes.

Well, that's just it. It takes someone from the "New Generation" to blow a lot of money on a machine, experience the issues which the OP is experiencing and finally coming down to their senses and buying something that just works instead.

There are a lot of new technologies in the washing world which sound pretty awesome.. Things like Waveforce, HE Technology, EcoBubble, Steam generators, etc. Realistically, all it does is add complexity and cost to the machine without really offering much value in return. If anything, all it does is increase profits for the manufacturer because more service calls have to be made when it breaks and the damn thing went out of warranty a week before it broke.

Now, I'm not saying that the "Old" technology is the best, but rather tried and proven technologies that have been around for a while that "Just work."

For example, when GE introduced the "Filter Flo" back in 1958, it was a new "Gimmicky" technology, but it did work and it worked well. It worked so well that GE kept it in their line up from 1958 straight through to 1994. Why they got rid of it, I have no idea.

Like anything though, I think LG is going to learn a lot of hard lessons from this and the consumer will vote with their dollar. When they finally realize that they've developed the "Ford Pinto" of washing machines (Which they already have) and the reputation which comes with it, eventually they'll have such a bad reputation that they wouldn't be able to give them away for free.

.... and that is how the manufacturers of quality equipment stay in business.
 
Scare tactics in print?

WSJ - sadly, has now become one of the contributors to the media mis-information revolution. Perhaps things are improving there, there are no results for a search at WSJ for the author of that opinion space-filling garbage.

The author works for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an oil company-Koch brothers funded "libertarian think tank." LOL They barely rub up against reality. Take it all with a grain of detergent! LOL
 
Removing the "Fix" will just make the machine danger

 

 

Wow Qualin, do you really believe that??   These machines are SO unsafe out of the box they will randomly self destruct when being used properly and correctly??   Really??    

 

Powrbruh said he's used his set for over two years with zero problems and the washer has not destroyed it self once, imagine that!

 

While yes I agree LG is to fault for a possible "lacking" suspension design, but so more the total lack of off balance sensors to stop the washer from self destructing when it IS off balance while spinning.

 

But IMHO, more to blame is the consumer who is using the washer incorrectly by trying to wash large, bulky or single items like a single pillow on the "normal" cycle rather than the "bulky items" cycle like they are SUPPOSED to which reduces the spin speed.

 

All this reminds me of the problems Audi encountered in the early 80's with the "unintended acceleration" crap.   The people testing the cars were able to FORCIBLY reproduce the unintended acceleration under very specific and extreme test conditions, which would NEVER occur in any normal driving condition.   Just like this LG washer issue, the problem was the idiot behind the wheel, not the machine being used.

 

Kevin

[this post was last edited: 3/5/2013-16:24]
 
I thought all they needed was to reinforce the plastic corner tub mounts brackets with metal ones to fix the problem? I guess it's cheaper to just flash the software then to invest in any physical parts. So sad!!

tecnopolis++3-5-2013-22-21-57.jpg
 
Sorry LG, there is no excuse for deleting balance sensors. A $15 toy helicopter has one, so how much could they possibly cost?

Even if the machine is used appropriately, it is possible for a normal load to wad up on one side of the tub and unbalance. That could happen in every washer I ever used. So I don't agree it's all operator error.

I DO agree that the factory derating the machine so it's no longer what you bought is a sorry excuse for a solution.
 
To Kevin

>> Removing the "Fix" will just make the machine dangerous again.

> Wow Qualin, do you really believe that??

Well, I think there is an inherent design flaw in these machines. We've been complaining about it for a while. The stupid thing is, all LG needs to do is put an acceleration sensor on the outer tub and replace the control board with one which can take input from the sensor. (If there isn't a spare auxiliary header.) Of course, from LG's point of view, that is an expensive solution and not viable from a business point of view. Better in their eyes to risk the lawsuits than to spend the money. It basically is the "Ford Pinto" problem.

> These machines are SO unsafe out of the box they will randomly self destruct when being used properly and correctly??

Well, you see, that's not really my point. My point is that when the machine is being subjected to an abnormal operating condition, regardless of whether or not it is due to operator error or it is caused due to a shift in load balance, no machine, regardless of what kind of machine it is, should ever self-destruct, under any circumstances.

My old 2004 GE top loader made an absolute racket when it was unbalanced, but it never destroyed itself. My Mom's old 1963 GE Filter-Flo would happily walk around the basement floor if it was unbalanced, but it never self-destructed. (OK, maybe the tub boot could come loose as a result of that, but that's not my point.)

Every machine, regardless of whomever makes it, should always include the necessary safety devices to prevent the possibility of harm to property and individuals. This is why there are lid switches. Of course, it is certainly the operators fault if they bypass the lid switch and then complain about getting their arm ripped off if they jam it into a tub spinning at 1000 RPM. :-)

> Powrbruh said he's used his set for over two years with zero problems and the washer has not destroyed it self once, imagine that!

OK, That's a good testimonial, are they the same model as the one the OP is having issues with and the ones affected by the recall notice?

> more to blame is the consumer who is using the washer incorrectly by trying to wash large, bulky or single items like a single pillow on the "normal" cycle

I agree partially with this statement. User error certainly is a huge contributor towards this problem. There is a saying which says, "If you make something idiot proof, a smarter idiot will come along." .. (No offense to anyone!)

What I think LG lacked was nobody in their QA department seemed to think about placing the machine into a state where the settings on the machine are completely inappropriate for the load being washed. If they had, they would have probably refined their firmware or did some re-engineering to prevent this problem from happening.

To put this into perspective, Whirlpool deliberately makes their machines explode in their QA labs to find out ways to prevent it. There was a video which was briefly circulating around on youtube before they pulled it. I mean, to me, that is real engineering.

Now, in all honesty, I don't know of any other machine on the market which self destructs like this if incorrect settings are used on a completely inappropriate load. If anything, the machine is more likely to do damage to the clothing!
 
Last Qualin post....

Here! Here!

I remember my mom's washing machine that walked a meter in less than a minute... Still worked great for the next decade...
 
Could it be this simple?

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

LG has 457,000 machines affected in the recall. 343 (0.075%) reported excessive vibration and 187 (0.04%) reports of minor property damage. You have a higher risk of being struck by lightning than having an LG washing machine tear apart your house.[this post was last edited: 3/6/2013-23:57]
 
Greg, thank YOU! If thats the same lightning that dictates powerball odds, I totally get it. arthur
 
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